Editing McDonnell FH Phantom (section)

==Design and development==
In early 1943, aviation officials at the United States Navy were impressed with McDonnell's audacious [[XP-67 Bat]] project. McDonnell was invited by the navy to cooperate in the development of a shipboard jet fighter, using an engine from the turbojets under development by [[Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division|Westinghouse Electric Corporation]]. Three prototypes were ordered on 30 August 1943 and the designation XFD-1{{#tag:ref|The U.S. Navy had earlier used the XFD-1 designation for the prototype [[Douglas XFD]] [[biplane]] fighter, which did not enter production due to changing Navy requirements.|group=N}} was assigned. Under the [[1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system]], the letter "D" before the dash designated the aircraft's manufacturer. The [[Douglas Aircraft Company]] had previously been assigned this letter, but the USN elected to reassign it to McDonnell because Douglas had not provided any fighters for navy service in years.<ref name="Mesko7">Mesko 2002, p. 7.</ref>

McDonnell engineers evaluated a number of engine combinations, varying from eight {{convert|9.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} diameter engines down to two engines of {{convert|19|in|cm}} diameter. The final design used the two {{convert|19|in|cm|abbr=on}} engines after it was found to be the lightest and simplest configuration.<ref name="AI Nov87 p233">''Air International'' November 1987, p. 233.</ref> The engines were buried in the wing root to keep intake and exhaust ducts short, offering greater aerodynamic efficiency than underwing [[nacelle]]s,<ref name="AI Nov87 p234">''Air International'' November 1987, p. 234.</ref> and the engines were angled slightly outwards to protect the [[fuselage]] from the hot exhaust blast.<ref name="Mesko7"/> Placement of the engines in the middle of the airframe, behind the [[Center of gravity of an aircraft|center of gravity]], required the [[cockpit]] with its bubble-style canopy to be placed ahead of the wing, also granting the pilot excellent visibility in all directions. The long nose allowed designers to use [[tricycle gear]], thereby elevating the engine exhaust path and reducing the risk that the hot blast would damage the aircraft carrier deck.<ref name="Mesko p5">Mesko 2002, p. 5.</ref> The construction methods and aerodynamic design of the Phantom were fairly conventional for the time; the aircraft had unswept wings, a conventional [[empennage]], and an [[aluminum]] [[monocoque]] structure with [[flush rivet]]ed aluminum skin. [[Folding wing]]s were used to reduce the width of the aircraft in storage configuration. Provisions for four [[.50 BMG|.50-caliber (12.7 mm)]] [[machine gun]]s were made in the nose, while racks for eight {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket]]s could be fitted under the wings, although these were seldom used in service.<ref name="Mesko7"/> Adapting a jet to carrier use was a much greater challenge than producing a land-based fighter because of slower landing and takeoff speeds required on a small carrier deck. The Phantom used [[Flap (aircraft)|split flaps]] on both the folding and fixed wing sections to enhance low-speed landing performance,<ref name="AI Nov87 p234-5">''Air International'' November 1987, pp. 234–235.</ref> but no other [[high-lift device]]s were used. Provisions were also made for [[JATO|Rocket Assisted Take Off (RATO)]] bottles to improve takeoff performance.<ref name="Mesko7"/>

[[File:McDonnell FH-1 Phantom of VF-17A on USS Saipan (CVL-48) in May 1948.jpg|thumb|left|A U.S. Navy FH-1 of [[VF-171|VF-17A]] ''Phantom Fighters'' taxies to the catapult during carrier qualifications on the light aircraft carrier {{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|2}}, in May 1948]]

When the first XFD-1, [[United States military aircraft serials|serial number]] ''48235'', was completed in January 1945, only one Westinghouse 19XB-2B engine was available for installation. Ground runs and taxi tests were conducted with the single engine, and such was the confidence in the aircraft that the first flight on 26 January 1945 was made with only the one turbojet engine.<ref name="Franc mdd p382">Francillon 1979, p. 382.</ref>{{#tag:ref|McDonnell assistant Chief Engineer Kendall Perkins has stated that this "first flight" was no more than a "hop", and that the real first flight would wait until a second engine was fitted a few days later.<ref name="AI Nov 87 p258"/>|group=N}} During flight tests, the Phantom became the first U.S. Navy aircraft to exceed 500&nbsp;mph (434 kn, 805&nbsp;km/h).<ref name="Mills"/> With successful completion of tests, a production contract was awarded on 7 March 1945 for 100 FD-1 aircraft. With the end of the war, the Phantom production contract was reduced to 30 aircraft, but was soon increased back to 60.<ref name="AI Nov 87 p258">''Air International'' November 1987, p. 258.</ref>

The first prototype was lost in a fatal crash on 1 November 1945,<ref name="Angel p297-8">Angelucci and Bowers 1987, pp. 297–298.</ref> but the second and final Phantom prototype ([[United States military aircraft serials|serial number]] ''48236'') was completed early the next year and became the first purely jet-powered aircraft to operate from an American [[aircraft carrier]], completing four successful takeoffs and landings on 21 July 1946, from {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CV-42|2}} near [[Norfolk, Virginia]].<ref name="Mills"/> At the time, she was the largest carrier serving with the U.S. Navy, allowing the aircraft to take off without assistance from a [[Aircraft catapult|catapult]].<ref name="AI Nov 87 p258"/> The second prototype crashed on 26 August 1946.<ref name="ASN236">{{ASN accident|id=82095}}{{dead link|date=May 2011}}</ref>

Production Phantoms incorporated a number of design improvements. These included provisions for a flush-fitting centerline [[drop tank]], an improved gunsight, and the addition of [[Air brake (aircraft)|speed brakes]]. Production models used [[Westinghouse J30]]-WE-20 engines with {{convert|1,600|lbf|kN|abbr=on}} of thrust per engine. The top of the vertical tail had a more square shape than the rounder tail used on the prototypes, and a smaller [[rudder]] was used to resolve problems with [[Flight control surfaces|control surface]] clearance discovered during test flights. The horizontal tail surfaces were shortened slightly, while the fuselage was stretched by {{convert|19|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The amount of framing in the windshield was reduced to enhance pilot visibility.<ref name="Mesko7"/><ref name="AI Nov 87 p258"/>

Halfway through the production run, the navy reassigned the designation letter "D" back to Douglas, with the Phantom being redesignated FH-1.<ref name="AI Nov 87 p258"/> Including the two prototypes, a total of 62 Phantoms were finally produced, with the last FH-1 rolling off the assembly line in May 1948.<ref>Wagner 1982, p. 503.</ref>

Realizing that the production of more powerful jet engines was imminent, McDonnell engineers proposed a more powerful variant of the Phantom while the original aircraft was still under development&nbsp;– a proposal that would lead to the design of the Phantom's replacement, the [[McDonnell F2H Banshee|F2H Banshee]]. Although the new aircraft was originally envisioned as a modified Phantom, the need for heavier armament, greater internal fuel capacity, and other improvements eventually led to a substantially heavier and bulkier aircraft that shared few parts with its agile predecessor.<ref name="Mesko10">Mesko 2002, p. 10.</ref> Despite this, the two aircraft were similar enough that McDonnell was able to complete its first '''F2H-1''' in August 1948, a mere three months after the last '''FH-1''' had rolled off the assembly line.<ref>Wagner 1982, p. 504.</ref>